Surgery Update, part 3

I am now done and graduated from physical therapy. My next doctor appointment is a month away. I am a regular participant in everything at dance class, even leading a fitness class during our Oireachtas prep Saturdays.

Did I really heal this fast?

Three months seriously flew by! Maybe I just feel that way because the past month has been a blur with the beginning of the school year and my own insistence that I never have days off to do nothing.

For the most part this past month, when I wasn't working, I was doing something to improve my physical fitness. I was at physical therapy getting essentially an hour and a half personal training session. I was running (yes, running!) in the fitness center on the treadmill. I was choreographing a show treble reel for the Baltimore Comic Con.

So, yes, I finally got to attend a comic con in my Captain America dress! I entered a costume contest for fun, and danced on stage for a bit of an audience. They went wild! My costume was totally a hit, and I loved getting all the comments on how cool an Irish dancing Captain America is. Now, I'm going to dedicate a whole post to this outing very soon, but until then, have a picture!

I have officially registered for two feiseanna this fall before the Oireachtas. I will be doing only the set dance competition at Rhythm of Ireland to try out my new Downfall of Paris without the stress of having to push myself to have the other rounds ready (namely slip jig). Hopefully all goes well, and if not, there's still time to perfect it before the SRO (and if not, there's the ol' standby Planxty Drury). My one and only three round competition will be Feis Culkin a few weeks after.

And now for something completely not related to healing... Remember when I mentioned I won an instagram contest hosted by Marvel and Dr. Pepper that was run during San Diego Comic Con? My prize came in the mail last month. I was expecting five Dr. Pepper cans, which I got. What completely blew my mind was that they came in a fantastic case signed by the Avengers: Age of Ultron cast! Consider me blown away.

Goals: Stamina all around
Days till Os: 66

Injured girl fitness

Maintaining my fitness during my surgery recovery has been something very important to me. I am planning on training for the Oireachtas this fall when I am cleared to dance, so I want to make the transition as easy for myself as possible. Plus, apparently staying active while injured (withing your limits of course!) helps with healing. Enter Blogilates, a YouTube channel I stumbled across last fall while searching for ab workouts.

This whole fitness journey started in April when I first really dug deeper into the Blogilates website. I decided to reinvent my eating habits by completing the 12 week New Body Makeover, which includes clean eating meal plans for 12 weeks. I followed the meal plans right up until my surgery, and while I no longer follow their strictness, I do find myself making better meal choices based on guidelines from these meal plans (also, some of the meals have made their way into my go-to meals they were so delicious).

After resting for about two weeks after my surgery, I became very bored at home. I have always been an active person, so sitting on the couch doing nothing got old really quick. Boredom led to me searching out the June workout calendar from Blogilates and completing five YouTube videos, which added up to a 50 minute workout session. From then on, I knew that I wouldn't be bored for an hour of each day.

I was extremely mindful of my own limitations, so I modified a lot of exercises at first.  I skipped whole chunks of standing exercises, I planked on my knees, and did whatever I could to complete the exercises withing my limits. The Pop Pilates videos lend themselves very well to modifications for ankle injuries (aside from cardio videos). The modifications also helped me not feel overwhelmed with the intensity of the exercises because some are really difficult!

Want to see the calendar? Sign up at blogilates.com!

My favorite part about Cassey's whole system is that she releases a calendar of what workouts to do on each day of the week. I literally don't have to think about what I'm going to workout each day because she has done that for me! Her calendars change monthly, and this change over to the August calendar has been tough for me because there is more cardio and leg exercises, two areas I'm only getting back into since my surgery. On occasion, my boyfriend will join me during my daily workout (if I don't complete it while he's at work). It's a fun challenge to see if I can match or outlast him over the course of a ten minute workout video.

I can proudly say that I have only missed one workout since June 30th and that was because I was at Kings Dominion all day long. I was still able to complete the daily workouts while I was on vacation in Michigan with my mom and sister (possibly getting them hooked on Blogilates in the process), thanks to my tablet and free Wi-Fi at our hotel! I can feel that I am stronger all over, and I hope to be able to continue the daily workouts once school starts.

As an added bonus, I also have new ideas for ab workouts at the beginning of dance classes (because that always seems to be my job at my dance school). I can't wait to torture the other dancers with some of my new-found ab routines.

Here's where to find Cassey Ho and Blogilates on the web. Sign up for the workout calendar on her website, watch for new workout videos every Monday, and look for quick healthy recipes on instagram!

[Blogilates website]  [Blogilates on YouTube]  [Blogilates on Twitter]  [Blogilates instagram]

Goals: Daily workout, ankle exercises, and stretch.
Days till Os: 115

Pinterest Finds

I am an avid pinner on Pinterest and have found a couple of valuable pins that I couldn't help but share with you guys!  Here are direct links to five of my favorite recent finds:



1. Workout planner printables
These include: weekly goal setting sheets, monthly planners, and even a long term goal worksheet, and all to print out for free!  Hang these next to your bed, in your practice area, and get motivated for the Oireachtas!

2. Tagxedo Creator
I found this awesome website which takes text and arranges it in any shape you would like.  The first one I created was in the shape of a dancer girl, and I have also created a special Tagxedo using my dance school's logo.  This would be perfect for Oireachtas t-shirts!

3. Nut-and-honey coconut granola
I halved this recipe to check and make sure it was extra delicious before I made a whole batch, and let me tell you, I could eat this granola every day for breakfast!  While it was baking, it smelled like all the best parts of fall foods and really made me long for crisp autumn mornings and Oireachtas weekend practices.  It is chock full of protein goodness, and I found the half cup serving size was plenty to last me until lunchtime without needing a mid-morning snack.

4. Three-ingredient pancakes
These high protein, low calorie, gluten free pancakes are so quick and easy to whip up!  I was slightly hesitant at first, hoping that they wouldn't taste like an egg, and they didn't!  They are great to eat on their own without having to tweak the recipe.  Another dance friend has tested these out and added mini chocolate chips for an extra savory breakfast!

5. Leg Warmers
Fall is about to be upon us, and what better way to keep warm than with long colorful leg warmers that look like poodle socks?  American Apparel has 20 different colors to choose form so you can match your solo dress or rep your dance school's colors.

Goals: Do my 20 minutes daily drills
Days till Os: 94

Summer weekly workout: Ballet Conditioning

My summer TV schedule is always chock full of dance shows, the usual being Fox's So You Think You Can Dance and Lifetime's Dance Moms.  I am addicted to all things about that show, even though it seems rigged for contemporary dancers.  No hate though, because  an Irish dancer was featured last year.

This summer is especially exciting with the premier of Breaking Pointe on the CW and Bunheads on ABC Family.  This basically means I am completely interested in the whole ballet more so than normal.  (Did I mention I almost got serious with ballet after college instead of Irish?)  I'm so interested in ballet that when I saw this workout DVD in my public library the other week I got inordinately excited.  Mostly because ballerinas are known for their exacting technique (read: turnout), so any extra help in that department is welcome, but also partially because maybe I had found a workout DVD that wasn't too cheesy or too easy!

I was expecting some excellent stretches and barre exercises.  Nothing so difficult that a dancer who's currently training couldn't handle.  I had taken ballet classes a year ago in my preparation for worlds and had really noticed a difference in my dancing.  This DVD, however was much more than expected.  It was hard.  The gentle beginning stretched led into difficult plié sequence at the barre that left your thighs burning.  The plié sequence flowed on into tendus that left me questioning why I cannot balance while holding my leg up, a skill I thought I mastered as a child.  It was a wonderful workout that left me with jelloid legs and the resolve to be better the next time.  I decided I will do this 50 minute video once a week this summer until it is easy.

Have you tried a workout DVD that pushed your limits or strength or flexibility?  Would you give into the ballet craze and try this workout?

Goals: Do the weekly workout

Days till Os: 167